Player ratings, stats charts AND England lost.

Someone's had a wonderful day. Just look how excited he is.

And right on cue, the saddo, bet-welching stalker turns up with nothing of any interest to add to any debate.

Please do tell us what he could have done to ensure people gave him the ball. Switched sides perhaps? The thing is I don't agree with you that hours performance stank, he hardly handled the ball which plain and simple isn't his fault because our halves favoured left side. What he did in defence was generally good, I don't recall him missing any tackles he made a few good and important ones, so please tell me how his performance stank?

Are you suggesting he should abandon hours position to come infield and take the ball? Would that dereliction of duty make you happier?

Simple fact is you can't do anything of people aren't giving you the ball, and Watkins was given no ball today. Whatever your opinion of him, to suggest that is entirely down to him is just stupid.

Yes, i've been sat here all night refreshing my screen until some sadsack bell-end troll re-posted the same tripe he's been posting every season since RLFans went live.

No, really.

Oh and please provide ANY of evidence of ANY "bet welching".

Seriously, please do.

No? Didn't think so.

Guffaw!!!

I eagerly await your silence on that one until the next time you call me it, before going silent again.....

I wouldn't defend him if he was genuinely poor/ awful as described by some, but i don't think he was today. he was just ok as were many others. I think he suffers from over hyping big time. Truth is he is a decent centre who can have great moments but nothing more. Summed up by Kevin Sinfield stating he was 'arguably the second best centre in the World behind Inglis' before the game began. That is laughable and after the season he has had i would even go as far as embarrassing to hear. Wonder if Kallum believes these kind of things said about him?

And just remind me, with that amazing, awesome backline, what was the the score of the opening test?

I thought it was a great game, and the kind of game I want to see on a regular occasion, with the best players in the World taking on each other.

Johnson just did everything right. And apart from him, there was nothing between the two teams. Bring on the villains.

Serious question to any NRL officianados out there: How's Bennet improved that side, either collectively or individually? Yesterday's show was very reminiscent of previous efforts and in all honesty I don't think the team delivered much that one coached by a Macnamara, a McDermott, an Anderson or a Wane couldn't. Not having a great deal of interest in the game down under, can someone tell me where his strengths as a coach lie and what strategic improvements he's likely to bring? Cheers.

If widdop is in for his game management, it's terrible. I've not seen the game back on TV however he made three massive mistakes;

Kicking the ball out on the full from the kick off, I don't understand this obsession with trying to land the ball one yard from the dead ball line, for every one you win, 5 will go out on the full

The intercept

Passing down the blind side one yard from the try line when hodgson was set for a drop goal, dreadful 'game management'

Clearly others made mistakes, the Lomax missed tackle, Sarginson knocking on at a crucial time stand out.

For me, Williams and Percival should be in for next week

Two things cost us a game we should have won against mediocre opposition (on the day) - the amateurish mistakes (see post above) and the lack of creativity by the halves in that first 20 minutes or so when we should have scored two of three tries with that level of domination. One half back was anonymous, the other, Widdop, looked at his best during the game but in reality created nothing. Even one decent half back and we'd have created something.

So much doom and gloom and over the top criticism on here.

No, leeds fans don't think watkins is the best thing since sliced bread but it was stated before the tournament he had been framed as the scapegoat and when other players (sarginson, bombed 2 tries by not passing, S Burgess - the prodigal son producing numerous brain farts) produce as damaging mistakes and escape the same level of verbal abuse then it only backs up the scapegoat point and discredits those views.

NZ had a hit out against aus last week....we played france. We lost by a point and the game could have easily gone the other way.

The problem is that after decades of losing, we're too willing to excuse failure. Internationals aren't like a league season, where coaches get to talk about "improving performances" and "peaking at the right time". You get very few chances, and then you've won or lost. That's it. I don't watch England with the goal of seeing them get close, build towards something, or suffer another valiant defeat. I want them to win. Bennett's comments this morning were right: we need to learn how to win. Otherwise, we're becoming like France, where they get complimented on 'brave' performances, while getting tanked by 30 points. Patronising garbage.

We dominated the opening 30 minutes and didn't score. We gave the Kiwis two soft, soft tries they didn't have to work for. We had a whole 15 minutes to equalise which would at least mean we didn't have to beat the Aussies to stand a chance of the final, but we didn't take a single one of the many opportunities in that time.

I'm 46. I've never seen England or GB win a competition in my life. If we keep excusing failure, I'll never see one before I die.

At international level, being 'competitive' is just code for losing. We should have won yesterday. We had the forwards, the territory and the possession to do so. We need to stop hiding behind Johnson and make whatever ruthless changes are required to win. Enough losing.